I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for making cuts along the circumferential surface of a can or other similar container. The present invention is primarily intended for use in making decorative articles from cylindrical cans, but the apparatus may also be used for splitting cans which hold nursery plants.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Can openers for the classic "tin can" are well known in the art. These tin cans have long been used for a multiplicity of purposes, including housing of nursery plants, storage of miscellaneous articles, the transportation and storage of food, etc. Since the planar ends of these tin cans are permanently closed during the loading process, it has been necessary for the purchaser or the user of the can to utilize an opener designed for that purpose. Typically these can openers progressed from an exposed knife-like utensil to the more sophisticated roller and shielded knife utensils.
For example, the disclosure of Hansen, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,522,055 illustrates the use of a knife or shielded knife type can opener which is designed to cut not only the planar ends of the can but also around and along the circumferential surface of the can. However, Hansen has not provided any guide or positioning means by which the operator can carefully align and regulate the precise cutting line along the can. Kawahara, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,970,375, discloses an improved can opener which employs a knife-like cutting element which communicates upwardly along a movable shoe or plate element. Seerup, in U.S. Pat. No. 816,256, discloses a can opening apparatus which couples to the circumferential surface adjacent the planar end of the can and employs a knife-like appendage which penetrates and cuts around the circumferential surface of the can. Whatley, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,714,247, discloses an improved safety can opener apparatus which utilizes a sharpened wheel which engages and rotatably pierces the planar end of the can.
Armstrong, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,602,993, discloses a can opening apparatus specifically designed for allowing a gardener to separate the tin can from the potting soil and plant located therewithin. This can opener includes an extended handle and a foot pedal for allowing the operator to steady the can opener and to use the force of this foot for moving the can opener vertically along the circumferential surface of the can from one planar end to the other planar end, thereby placing a slit or cut longitudinally along the circumferential surface of the can. Several of these cuts will allow the gardener to peel back the circumferential surface of the can and remove the potting soil and plant as a unit therefrom. Lassen, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,719,358, discloses a shaft-like strap cutter which includes a sharpened slot in the operative end thereof for engaging with and cutting a strap.
The old style "tin cans" were primarily functional in nature in that they were not aesthetically or artistically pleasing to the eye. That is, their principle use was limited to containing or storing articles. Since the tin cans were constructed from a relatively thick and hard substance, such as steel plated on both sides with a layer of tin, it was unusual to find uses for the can which required the can to be cut apart or segmented. However, with the advent of aluminum cans it has become much more feasible for the artistically inclined person to use these softer and thinner cans for other uses. For example, aluminum can sculpters and aluminum can pop art now are well known. A relatively new art form requires that the aluminum cans be cut into thin strips and then these thin strips are cut to the appropriate length and curled or bent in order to form an ornamental shape. One form of aluminum can art requires the aluminum can to be cut a plurality of times generally along the longitudinal axis of the circumferential surface of the can in order that the resulting strips may be curled to form ornamental spirals adjacent one end of the can. Then, a plurality of the can ends having the curled ornamental objects around the perifery thereof are coupled together for forming some unique work of can art such as a chair, a sofa, replicas of animals, etc.
These aluminum cans may be cut into longitudinal strips by the use of ordinary manual tin snips or metal shears, but this manual method does not lend itself to creating strips which are evenly spaced and of constant width from one end to the other. The can openers which have been previously described above are likewise not suited for making these longitudinal cuts in the circumferential surface of the cans.
Therefore, it is first object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for making cuts of generally constant width which are equally spaced along the typical aluminum can or other similar container.
Another object of the present invention is to specifically adapt the cutter for making these cuts longitudinally along the circumferential surface of the aluminum can. Precise incremental motion devices are provided for accurately and evenly spacing the cuts around the circumference of the can.
A still further object of the present invention is to incorporate the use of linear cutting, shear-type cutters which will not leave jagged or burred edges along the strips, but will instead make smooth, even cuts which will not cause the aluminum strips to bend or misform.